Knox County Nursing Home lays off 3 employees

Rebecca Susmarski The Register-Mail

Tuesday

Aug 21, 2018 at 7:49 PMAug 21, 2018 at 7:49 PM

GALESBURG — At least three employees at the Knox County Nursing Home lost their jobs as of Friday.

The nursing home reportedly laid off three AFSCME Local 1047 employees and reduced the hours of at least two others. Jodi Hanen, president of AFSCME Local 1047, said Tuesday the nursing home laid off two union employees in the maintenance department and one in the transportation department. The nursing home also reduced the hours for one union employee in housekeeping and another in laundry, Hanen said.

Hanen told The Register-Mail Tuesday that Donna Motz, the nursing home’s interim director, sent her a letter Friday announcing the layoffs. No one at the nursing home told Hanen why the layoffs were needed as of Tuesday. Motz did not return voicemails left by The Register-Mail Monday and Tuesday requesting more information.

“The union’s going to file a demand to bargain so we can get to the table and get all the financials and all the facts and go from there,” said Randy Lynch, AFSCME Council 31 representative for nursing home employees. “They haven’t given us any reason.”

Knox County Board Member David Amor, D-District 2, said members of the County Board’s Nursing Home Committee discussed the nursing home’s staff in closed session during a meeting Aug. 13. He could not confirm the number of layoffs and declined to comment on them further, citing privacy in personnel matters.

“I know that there has been discussions both with the management and with the union about the necessity of trying to achieve some reductions in expenses at the nursing home, given its current financial situation,” Amor said.

The county’s auditor found out six months ago the nursing home had $1.2 million in outstanding bills from insurance claims for individual patients dating back to 2013. The $1.2 million included claims for Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance companies and Medicaid-Medicare Alignment Initiative insurance companies.

The county also released the nursing home’s former administrator, Rachel Secrist, from employment last month. Secrist oversaw the nursing home’s operations at the time the county found out about the $1.2 million in backlogged insurance claims.

Knox County Board Chairwoman Pam Davidson, D-District 3, did not return voicemails left by The Register-Mail requesting more information.